Portal hypertension

The Efficacy of Carvedilol in Comparison to Propranolol in Reducing the Hepatic Venous Pressure Gradient and Decreasing the Risk of Variceal Bleeding in Adult Cirrhotic Patients: A Systematic Review

The most common cause of portal hypertension is liver cirrhosis. Portal hypertension causes many complications in cirrhotic patients; a significant complication is the formation of varices and the subsequent life-threatening variceal bleeding due to elevated portal venous pressures. Hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) is the gold standard for measuring portal hypertension and guides management. Pharmacological treatments lower the HVPG, preventing the progression of varices and subsequent variceal bleeding. The pharmacological treatments frequently used in primary and secondary prophylaxis of a variceal bleed are nonselective beta (β)-adrenergic blockers. Propranolol was the first nonselective β-adrenergic blocker used for lowering HVPG and has been well studied. However, in the past decade, clinical trials have shown that carvedilol has been more effective. This study aims to establish whether carvedilol is more effective than propranolol in reducing the hepatic venous pressure gradient and decreasing the risk of variceal bleeding in adult cirrhotic patients. A systematic review has been conducted to gather relevant clinical trials comparing drugs and their effects on HVPG. Four databases: PubMed (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE)), Google Scholar, the Cochrane Library, and ScienceDirect, were analyzed, and records from January 1, 1999, to January 1, 2023, were chosen. There were a total of 1,235 potentially eligible records across the four databases. Using the eligibility criteria for this systematic review, seven studies of 533 patients were included. Across all seven clinical trials, it was found that carvedilol reduced HVPG more than propranolol and decreased the risk of variceal bleeding in adult cirrhotic patients.

Influence of Gut–Liver Axis on Portal Hypertension in Advanced Chronic Liver Disease: The Gut Microbiome as a New Protagonist in Therapeutic Management

Clinically significant portal hypertension is associated with most complications of advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD), including variceal bleeding, ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hepatorenal syndrome, and hepatic encephalopathy. Gut dysbiosis is a hallmark of ACLD with portal hypertension and consists of the overgrowth of potentially pathogenic bacteria and a decrease in autochthonous bacteria; additionally, congestion makes the intestinal barrier more permeable to bacteria and their products, which contributes to the development of complications through inflammatory mechanisms. This review summarizes current knowledge on the role of the gut–liver axis in the pathogenesis of portal hypertension, with a focus on therapies targeting portal hypertension and the gut microbiota. The modulation of the gut microbiota on several levels represents a major challenge in the upcoming years; in-depth characterization of the molecular and microbiological mechanisms linking the gut–liver axis to portal hypertension in a bidirectional relationship could pave the way to the identification of new therapeutic targets for innovative therapies in the management of ACLD.

Vascular syndromes in liver cirrhosis

Liver cirrhosis is associated with multiple vascular syndromes affecting almost all body systems. Many of these syndromes are directly related to impaired liver function and sometimes reversible after liver transplantation while others arise secondary to portal hypertension and ascites. Altered expression of angiogenic and vasoactive compounds (most importantly nitric oxide), endothelial dysfunction, dysregulated neurohormonal control, and systemic inflammatory state play differential roles in mediating homeostatic instability and abnormal vasogenic response. Important vascular features encountered in liver disease include portal hypertension, splanchnic overflow, abnormal angiogenesis and shunts, portopulmonary syndrome, hepatopulmonary syndrome, and systemic hyperdynamic circulation. Redistribution of effective circulatory volume deviating from vital organs and pooling in splanchnic circulation is also encountered in liver patients which may lead to devastating outcomes as hepatorenal syndrome. Etiologically, vascular syndromes are not isolated phenomena and vascular dysfunction in one system may lead to the development of another in a different system. This review focuses on understanding the pathophysiological factors underlying vascular syndromes related to chronic liver disease and the potential links among them. Many of these syndromes are associated with high mortality, thus it is crucial to look for early biomarkers for these syndromes and develop novel preventive and therapeutic strategies.

Diagnosis and Treatment Algorithms of Acute Variceal Bleeding

Esophageal varices are about 10%-15% of UGIB. Over 90% of patients with cirrhosis develop portal hypertension (PHT), but not all patients with PHT and liver cirrhosis have esophageal varices. At the time of diagnosis, only 60% of patients with cirrhosis have esophageal varices. In the case of variceal bleeding suspects, vasoactive drugs should be given as soon as possible and before endoscopy. Balloon tamponade is used to obtain temporary hemostasis by direct compression of hemorrhagic varices. The variceal band ligation is already the first place in the treatment and prevention of variceal bleeding, but also in rebleeding prevention. TIPS is used as a rescue therapy after failure of drug and endoscopic therapy. The mortality assigned to the hemorrhagic episode is substantially, estimated at 13-19% of the overall mortality in hepatic cirrhosis. Current recommendations for the treatment of acute variceal bleeding are the use of combination therapy: vasoactive drugs, balloon tamponade, elastic ligation and TIPS, whose staging is done in various diagnosis and treatment algorithms.

Effects of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt on changes in the small bowel mucosa of cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension

BACKGROUND

The introduction of capsule endoscopy (CE) has facilitated the detection of mucosal changes in the small bowel, and such mucosal changes have been noted in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension; these changes are described as portal hypertensive enteropathy. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) on the small bowel mucosal changes detected by CE in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension.

METHODS

TIPS was performed in fifteen cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension. All patients underwent CE before and 2 weeks after TIPS. The small bowel mucosal changes were defined as edema, angiodysplasia-like lesions, red spots, and small bowel varices. Changes in the portosystemic pressure gradient (PSG) and CE findings were evaluated.

RESULTS

Before TIPS, small bowel edema was detected in all 15 patients, angiodysplasia-like lesions in 7, and red spots in 14 patients. The PSG decreased significantly, from 21.2 ± 2.6 before TIPS to 8.9 ± 3.3 mmHg (p < 0.001) after the procedure. After TIPS, the small bowel edema was attenuated in 8 of the 15 patients. In two patients with angiodysplasia-like lesions and 4 with red spots, these lesions were attenuated after TIPS. The average score for small bowel edema and the grade of red spots were reduced significantly after TIPS (2.3 ± 0.7-1.8 ± 0.6, p < 0.005 and 1.6 ± 0.9-1.3 ± 0.7, p < 0.05, respectively). Small bowel varices were seen in 4 patients before TIPS and all these varices disappeared after TIPS.

CONCLUSIONS

In cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension, small bowel edema, red spots, and small bowel varices were attenuated after TIPS. Portal hypertension may be an important factor in the development of small bowel mucosal changes.

Successful outcome of a pregnancy in a woman with advanced cirrhosis due to hepatitis B surface antigenemia, delta super-infection and hepatitis C co-infection: a case report

Pregnancy in women with advanced liver disease is rare. In this paper we described the case of a successful pregnancy in a young woman with advanced cirrhosis due to hepatitis B surface antigenemia, hepatitis delta super-infection and Hepatitis C co-infection. A brief review of the medical literature on pregnancy in women with cirrhosis is also presented.

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